4)b Key Characteristics of Elementary and Middle School Learners (Curtain & Dahlberg)

Question 0

List the key characteristics of PRIMARY students (ages 5-7; kindergarten; grades 1-2).

Answer 0

• learn best through concrete experiences and immediate goals
• imaginative and respond well to fantasy stories and dramatic play
• learn though oral language and can develop solid oral skills, pronunciation, and intonation when they have a good model
• have a short attention span
• require large-muscle activity
• need structured and specific directions and regular routines

Question 1

List the key characteristics of PRESCHOOL students (ages 2 to 4).

Answer 1

• absorb languages effortlessly and imitate speech sounds well
• self-centered and do not work well in groups
• respond best to activities relating to their own interests
• short attention span
• respond best to concrete experiences & large-motor movement
• benefit from activities that develop phonological awareness such as rhymes and tongue-twisters

Question 2

List the key characteristics of INTERMEDIATE students (ages 8-10; grades 3-5).

Answer 2

• at their peak for being open to ppl different from themselves
• benefit from a global emphasis in language study
• begin to understand cause and effect
• work well in groups
• continue to need concrete learning experiences
• often dislike working with classmates of the opposite sex
• learn well from imagination and stories that feature binary opposites and real-life heroes / heroines
• are able to work with rubrics and enjoy peer editing and scoring activities

Question 3

List the key characteristics of EARLY ADOLESCENT students (ages 11-14; grades 6-8).

Answer 3

• experience more dramatic developmental changes than at any other time in life
• reach a cognitive plateau for a time
• have multiplying and rapidly changing interests
• feel a need to assert their independence, develop their own self-image, and become members of a peer group
• benefit from the encouragement of a positive relationship and a positive self-image
• respond well to opportunities to learn about subjects of interest to them and to learning experiences with a strong affective component
• respond well to content-based units with a culminating product